Resident Coordinator's Remarks at the Launch of the Asian Elephant Alliance

Khun Natalie, CEO WWF,

Khun Somying Thanhikorn, DNP,

H.E. Ambassador Robert Godec,

EU representatives,

Khun Dindo Campilan, Asia Regional Director of IUCN,

Colleagues from WWF, and friends.

It’s my pleasure to be here today on the occasion of the launch of the Asian Elephant Alliance and many congratulations to all of you for being part of this regional initiative.

With the growing human-elephant conflict, especially in the eastern and western forest complexes, we need more of these cross-border alliances to safeguard wildlife and to protect corridors that allow humans and elephants to live together in a sustainable way.

It’s a reminder of the profound interconnectedness that binds all living beings on this earth that we call home.

We must recognize our shared responsibility towards “no net loss” in the diversity of genetics, species, and ecosystems along with climate change and pollution. 

These are inextricably connected as they share the same root causes: unsustainable production and consumption. This also means that, to respond to the crisis we need action and participation from across society.

The recent IPBES report for Asia and the Pacific highlights how habitat degradation and fragmentation have led to the decline of large wild mammals, and birds, especially in forests and grasslands, impacting forest functions and services, such as seed dispersal. In addition, at least one million plant and animal species are threatened with extinction.

With Asia-Pacific being home to nearly two-thirds of the world's population, the stakes have never been higher.

We need a complete transformation of our economies, aiming for zero emissions, nature-positive solutions, and circularity.

With half of the world’s GDP dependent on nature, according to UNEP, every dollar invested in restoration creates up to $30 in economic benefits.

This implies, conserving nature and managing ecosystems sustainably generates economic value.

This is articulated in the Global Biodiversity Framework at COP15 and the associated ambitious targets, goals and financing - a first step in resetting our relationship with nature.  

For the Framework to succeed, countries must update their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) and undertake concrete actions to meet their commitments in collaboration with others.

The UN is working in partnership with government, businesses, and civil society in support of this approach.

UNEP is leveraging its technical expertise to promote sustainable rice production to enhance biodiversity in paddy fields while maintaining yields, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and positively impacting public health. Analysis suggests if organic rice production is increased by as little as 10% in Thailand, it would result in returns of over $400 million in 15 years. Another important aspect for sustainable rice production is supporting biodiversity-friendly farming, to allows insects, which are part of the intricate web of life, to thrive and help sustain ecosystems.

With FAO’s support, Thailand’s “Thale Noi wetland pastoral buffalo agro-ecosystem” has, this year, been recognized as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System, with its associated landscapes, agricultural biodiversity, and knowledge systems.

UNESCO together with Expedia, have secured commitments from over 1,300 large and medium-sized hotels to eliminate single use plastics and support marine conservation through the Sustainable Travel Pledge.

UNDP in its efforts in localization is adopting a bottom-up approach by supporting biodiversity-based tourism at the community level to reduce threats from unsustainable tourism and create local livelihoods.

UNODC has supported the establishment of over 120 border liaison offices in Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia, Vietnam, and other nations. These offices play a key role in sharing real-time intelligence on the operations of transnational crime groups and reducing illegal wildlife trade and trafficking, and the risks of zoonotic diseases linked to wildlife crime.

Having convened the private sector, facilitating its commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and supporting the protection of 30 per cent of land and marine areas nationwide, the UN is also supporting businesses to transform and invest in biodiversity conservation and restoration.

What we need to do more of is adopt a whole of society approach. Civil society, young people, communities, businesses, and the financial sector - both public and private, must unite and take collective action.

One encouraging trend that we’ve witnessed is the increasing involvement of private individuals investing in protecting biodiversity hotspots.

As we pursue these endeavors, we look forward to scaling up our partnership with WWF and other community networks. Together we can connect the dots and amplify our voices, raise awareness, and enhance our collective impact on biodiversity protection and conservation.

Your commitment under the Asian Elephant Alliance will help us achieve our broader goals of protecting biodiversity and preserving vital ecosystems.

The UN stands ready to walk alongside nature champions, like yourselves, in this shared journey towards a nature-positive future.

Once again, many congratulations to the WWF’s Asian Elephant Alliance, which stands as a symbol of our collective determination to safeguard the natural world.